Lyon offer Man City hope in Ndombele chase

The highly rated midfielder is generating plenty of interest and his Ligue 1 employers concede that they may struggle to retain his services

Lyon acknowledge that Tanguy Ndombele could be the next top talent to leave the club, with Manchester City reported to be among his many suitors. The Ligue 1 outfit have grown accustomed to seeing prized assets stolen away by European rivals in recent years. A famed academy system has produced a number of leading lights, while a clever recruitment policy continues to unearth hidden gems. Ndombele falls into that category, with a loan move from Amiens having been turned into a permanent €8 million (£7m/$9m) transfer over the summer. The 21-year-old is now generating talk of a possible £55m ($72m) switch to England, with Tottenham joining Premier League champions City in monitoring his situation.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas admits he may be forced into another sale, with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso having sealed big-money switches to Arsenal and Bayern Munich last season. He told Radio Scoop of the mounting interest in Ndombele: “When players decide to play for Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester… You don’t decide to sell Lacazette or Tolisso, and in the same vein, I can’t guarantee that we’ll be able to keep Ndombele or [Houssem] Aouar next summer.” Aouar is another Lyon star to have sparked talk of interest from England, with the 20-year-old midfielder having seen his potential spotted early.

Nabil Fekir is a third Premier League target, with the World Cup winner still generating transfer talk after missing out on a summer switch to Liverpool.